Tryon: Idea of road on protected lands won't fly

Published: Sunday, February 2, 2014 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 31, 2014 at 5:34 p.m.

Before there was Flo from Progressive Insurance on TV, there was Flo from Mel's Diner.

Florence Jean Castleberry was the spunky Southern waitress on the mid-Seventies show "Alice."

Flo popularized "kiss my grits" and another great line, "when donkeys fly," which Florence Jean used to declare that something had little chance of happening.

I've watched government and politics long enough to know never say never.

But, on the day of Super Bowl 48, I'm prepared to bet a six-pack that a north-south route -- an alternative to Interstate 75 -- linking North Port and State Road 72 would only be built if donkeys commence to flying.

Rewind to last Monday:

During a meeting of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization -- local elected officials who set priorities for transportation projects -- a planner from North Port made a conceptual pitch for a reliever road to connect the city with SR 72.

Coincidentally, the presentation was made on the day southbound Interstate 75 closed after the overpass at University Parkway -- on the Sarasota-Manatee county line -- was damaged. Traffic backed up for miles, for two days, highlighting the value of alternative routes.

I was not at the meeting but was advised that the North Port planner, Michele Norton, made an articulate presentation and stated that the proposal for a new north-south route was conceptual.

In a cordial email Thursday, Norton wrote: "Just to be clear, there has not been a study performed; this is for discussion purposes. There has not been any official area designated, just a conceptual line drawn."

More to come on that line.

Nevertheless, a news report that suggested a route -- however conceptual -- might go through the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve set off the alarms of some Herald-Tribune readers.

That's because the Carlton Reserve -- 24,265 acres in south Sarasota County, both north and east of I-75 -- was bought with taxpayers' funds, authorized in a November 1982 bond referendum.

The purposes of the purchase were well defined -- to protect a potable water source, provide recreational opportunities and preserve open space. Public documents refer repeatedly to the environmental features of the acres and the value of protecting them.

Clearly the Carlton Reserve (it was known as the Ringling-MacArthur Tract back in '82) was not purchased to provide space for an alternative to the interstate -- which had barely been completed in our region.

So, when it appeared that the reserve might be a target for a roadway, some longtime residents sent emails expressing their concern that the potential violation of the intent of the purchase should not even be up for discussion.

Upon further review, the publicly owned Carlton Reserve is not in the path of a conceptual route.

Norton wrote that the line on a map presented to the MPO was "drawn on the border of the Carlton Ranch and the Carlton Ranch Conservation Easement."

That route would take the road from the northern terminus of Toledo Blade Boulevard/Choctaw Boulevard northward to intersect with State Road 72.

Hmmm. That route would go through tracts that are also protected through public investments in either an outright purchase or a conservation easement.

For instance, the tract known as the Carlton Ranch Fee Parcel was purchased by county taxpayers with funds from the voter-approved Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program. The land was targeted for acquisition for its ecological values and its link to other environmentally sensitive lands.

The "fee parcel" -- so named because it was acquired on fee-simple terms -- is adjacent to and east of the Reserve.

East of and adjacent to the fee parcel is the Carlton Ranch Easement Parcel, owned by Mabry Carlton's survivors and descendants. Although the land remains in private ownership as an active ranch, it is managed according to best practices designed to protect the environment. Sarasota County and the water management district own a conservation easement over the ranch, which provides another layer of environmental protection.

The Walton Ranch further to the east is also owned by the county and has conservation easements as well. What's more, planning for a nature trail is underway across all of the aforementioned properties: Would anyone approve a road over the trail?

The MPO will soon begin updating its long-range plan. The organization considers whether to include proposed projects in the plan, based on feasibility and potential funding.

Before anyone in public office expands any more time on a conceptual route through clearly protected lands, someone needs to ask and answer whether such a road would be legal and feasible -- environmentally and politically -- to avoid wasting time.

My guess is that, unless donkeys start to fly, the answers are no and no.

<p>Before there was Flo from Progressive Insurance on TV, there was Flo from Mel's Diner.</p><p>Florence Jean Castleberry was the spunky Southern waitress on the mid-Seventies show "Alice."</p><p>Flo popularized "kiss my grits" and another great line, "when donkeys fly," which Florence Jean used to declare that something had little chance of happening.</p><p>I've watched government and politics long enough to know never say never.</p><p>But, on the day of Super Bowl 48, I'm prepared to bet a six-pack that a north-south route -- an alternative to Interstate 75 -- linking North Port and State Road 72 would only be built if donkeys commence to flying.</p><p>Rewind to last Monday:</p><p>During a meeting of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization -- local elected officials who set priorities for transportation projects -- a planner from North Port made a conceptual pitch for a reliever road to connect the city with SR 72.</p><p>Coincidentally, the presentation was made on the day southbound Interstate 75 closed after the overpass at University Parkway -- on the Sarasota-Manatee county line -- was damaged. Traffic backed up for miles, for two days, highlighting the value of alternative routes.</p><p>I was not at the meeting but was advised that the North Port planner, Michele Norton, made an articulate presentation and stated that the proposal for a new north-south route was conceptual.</p><p>In a cordial email Thursday, Norton wrote: "Just to be clear, there has not been a study performed; this is for discussion purposes. There has not been any official area designated, just a conceptual line drawn."</p><p>More to come on that line.</p><p>Nevertheless, a news report that suggested a route -- however conceptual -- might go through the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve set off the alarms of some Herald-Tribune readers.</p><p>That's because the Carlton Reserve -- 24,265 acres in south Sarasota County, both north and east of I-75 -- was bought with taxpayers' funds, authorized in a November 1982 bond referendum.</p><p>The purposes of the purchase were well defined -- to protect a potable water source, provide recreational opportunities and preserve open space. Public documents refer repeatedly to the environmental features of the acres and the value of protecting them.</p><p>Clearly the Carlton Reserve (it was known as the Ringling-MacArthur Tract back in '82) was not purchased to provide space for an alternative to the interstate -- which had barely been completed in our region.</p><p>So, when it appeared that the reserve might be a target for a roadway, some longtime residents sent emails expressing their concern that the potential violation of the intent of the purchase should not even be up for discussion.</p><p>Upon further review, the publicly owned Carlton Reserve is not in the path of a conceptual route.</p><p>Norton wrote that the line on a map presented to the MPO was "drawn on the border of the Carlton Ranch and the Carlton Ranch Conservation Easement."</p><p>That route would take the road from the northern terminus of Toledo Blade Boulevard/Choctaw Boulevard northward to intersect with State Road 72.</p><p>Hmmm. That route would go through tracts that are also protected through public investments in either an outright purchase or a conservation easement.</p><p>For instance, the tract known as the Carlton Ranch Fee Parcel was purchased by county taxpayers with funds from the voter-approved Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program. The land was targeted for acquisition for its ecological values and its link to other environmentally sensitive lands.</p><p>The "fee parcel" -- so named because it was acquired on fee-simple terms -- is adjacent to and east of the Reserve.</p><p>East of and adjacent to the fee parcel is the Carlton Ranch Easement Parcel, owned by Mabry Carlton's survivors and descendants. Although the land remains in private ownership as an active ranch, it is managed according to best practices designed to protect the environment. Sarasota County and the water management district own a conservation easement over the ranch, which provides another layer of environmental protection.</p><p>The Walton Ranch further to the east is also owned by the county and has conservation easements as well. What's more, planning for a nature trail is underway across all of the aforementioned properties: Would anyone approve a road over the trail?</p><p>The MPO will soon begin updating its long-range plan. The organization considers whether to include proposed projects in the plan, based on feasibility and potential funding.</p><p>Before anyone in public office expands any more time on a conceptual route through clearly protected lands, someone needs to ask and answer whether such a road would be legal and feasible -- environmentally and politically -- to avoid wasting time.</p><p>My guess is that, unless donkeys start to fly, the answers are no and no.</p><p>Tom Tryon is opinion editor. Tom.Tryon@heraldtribune.com</p>